The local economic impact Tales of the Cocktail made consisted of $11.3 million with 14,014 hotel nights booked. 52.7% of visitors had attended Tales of the Cocktail more than once, 47.3% went for the first time, 70.3% of attendees traveled to the New Orleans area, 62.9% of respondents attended Tales of the Cocktail for 4 to 5 days.

Tales Attendee Breakdown was 18,750 and 65.3% were Industry Professionals, Bartenders, Sponsors, Presenters and Media, 34.7% were Cocktail Enthusiasts/General attendees. The National and International Statistics were 17.8% New York, 14.4% California, 10.1% from Texas and 6.6% from Florida. The largest fraction of international visitors came from Canada (32.7%), followed by Australia (12.2%), France (10.2%) and Sweden (6.1%). Other countries that attendees visited from: Mexico, The Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, The UK, Germany, South Korea, Trinidad & Tobago, Switzerland, Afghanistan, New Zealand, Brazil, and Austria.

Tales of the Cocktail Social Media Statistics include: Facebook, Twitter (43.2%) and Blogsite (15.3%), 48.1% of visitors attend Tales of the Cocktail events, based on information received from social media 96.9% of attendees surveyed used the Tales of the Cocktail website.

– The Bartender’s Travelling Book (started late 2009, but began to travel in 2010) has made it to Mr. Javier de las Muelas of Barcelona, Spain. The mission and purpose of the book is to gradually create a unique collaborative work featuring 333 prominent bartenders coming from different continents and various cultures. It will be a testament to the camaraderie and mutual respect among the bigwigs in the bartending world. The book came into existence with a clear objective – to be filled with personal entries by the world’s best bartenders. Other things to know about the book is that it is the only book of it’s kind in the whole world, made of leather and has silver embossing, made from exclusive hand made paper, and took 2 months for the book binder to put together. You can follow its travels on the Facebook Bartender’s Travelling Book Group.

– After witnessing Tony Conigliaro’s Glass Aged Manhattan at 69 Colebrooke Lane in London, Mixologist/blogger Jeffrey Morgenthaler from Portland pondered the question, “What if you could prepare a large batch of a single, spirit-driven cocktail and age it in a used oak barrel? Well, he did it. He first made a batch of rye Manhattans and put it into a small, used oak cask whose previous contents were Madeira wine. After five-to-six weeks, a soft blend of oak, wine, caramel and char was born. He continued his project by using whiskey casks and proceeded to fill them with a large batch of Negronis and after After six weeks in the bourbon barrel emerged a rare beauty. The sweet vermouth so slightly oxidized, the color paler and rosier than the original, the mid-palate softly mingled with whiskey, the finish long and lingering with oak tannins. Jeffrey has continued with several other recipes.

– There was a march for mezcal in Portland, OR.

– Great Rum Debate took place on a boat between Oakland and San Francisco.

– To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Frederic Chopin’s birth, Chopin Vodka unveiled a hand-blown, seven-foot tall, 200-liter glass bottle on the red carpet at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (2010). It’s the largest bottle of liquor ever to be produced.

– In honor of Frank Sinatra’s would be 95th birthday, Social Mixology served old-school Ketel One Martinis prepared by Anthony Alba and Tobin Ellis as well as a tasting of the limited Angelo Lucchesi bottling of Jack Daniel’s.

– Cocktail Kingdom made it easy for non-residents of the Caribbean to buy actual swizzle sticks.

– United Airlines offered their passengers a Sunrise Sunset • Vodka, cranberry apple juice, a splash of orange juice, and a squeeze of lime (same mixers as the Bourbon Breeze from Delta above?). They also offer a Mai Tai.

– President Barack Obama and his wife went out for a “date night” to Havana, a Latino-inspired restaurant that serves some of the best Cuban drinks and food on the island and drank Grey Goose Martinis. I guess not “when in Rome”?

– Moet-Hennessy put sleeves on all their products.

– Don Julio’s Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo bottles as well as their unique boxes debuted a new modernized, eye-catching design and a new logo that pays tribute to the brand’s namesake.

– The AWOL machine was invented in the Uk and allowed to function in Australia for precisely one day (AWOL means Alcohol With Out Liquid: you inhale vaporized alcohol and get… vaporized).

– Pennsylvania – a trial was initiated to test selling wine in grocery stores using vending machines. The buyer must present identification, look into a camera to allow an off site PLCB employee to verify the identification, then blow into a breathalyzer to authorize the sale.

TELEVISION
– How I Met Your Mother is set in the fictional NYC bar, MacLaren’s, which allows for many bar scenes, but the 100th episode titled, “Girls vs. Suits” showed Barney, played by Neil Patrick Harris (I love him!) playing the charming womanizer who lists off all the women he has conquered except for one…a hot female bartender.

– Castle from ABC aired an episode that centered around cocktail culture, the history of prohibition in NY and coveting vintage booze.

– Mad Men on AMC continues to romanticize the free-flowing Martinis and Manhattans of the early 1960s.

– Charlie played by Charlie Sheen continues to booze it up on Two and a Half Men from CBS.

– Boardwalk Empire from HBO is set in Atlantic City during the American Prohibition. In the opening, Dimmi bottles wash up on the shore at Steve Buscemi’s feet.

– Cougar Town on ABC tipples around the clock with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. In one episode, Jules (Courtney Cox) held a memorial service for her favorite (but now broken) over sized wine glass.

FILM
– Salt – Angelina Jolie and several Russian agents all drink a vodka toast. Later, Angelina Jolie uses a bottle of vodka as a weapon.

– Princess and The Frog – The frog says, I’ll take a pre-dinner cocktail and something to nibble on.”

– Avatar – Sam Worthington mentions Tequila in voice-over narration and states on his video diary that the Na’vi won’t be making any deals with the humans, not for light beer or blue jeans.
Stephen Yang tells his team that the first round of drinks is on him.

– Get Him To The Greek – Russell Brand says, “It’s time to invest in Jack Daniel’s.”

– The A-Team – Gerald McRaney states he has a bottle of Blue Label (Johnnie Walker Blue Label Scotch) waiting for the team, and Liam Neeson tells him to make it a case.

– Knight And Day – Cameron Diaz kisses Tom Cruise on a plane and says, “That was from the Tequila and altitude.” Viola Davis tells Peter Sarsgaard that something needed a Margarita and not capping. A guy at a bar orders a Harvey Wallbanger.

– Marmaduke – One of Owen Wilson’s (Marmaduke, the dog) friends says to him, “Not to rub Margarita salt in the wound, but you deserved it.”

– Killers – Catherine O’Hara asks a flight attendant for three Chardonnays and drinks from a large pitcher of Bloody Marys in the morning.

– Piranha 3D – Richard Dreyfuss sings “Show Me the Way to Go Home,” which features the lyric, “I had a little drink about an hour ago and it’s gone right to my head.” Jerry O’Connell drinks Tequila body shots off on a bikini-clad Riley Steele.

– The Other Guys – Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are served Arnold Palmers at the house of one of Will’s former girlfriends. Her husband announces that her drink is the only one with vodka in it.

– The American – Lots of spirits and wine seen.

– Pilgrim VS. The World – Michael orders two Gin and Tonics. Mary Elizabeth Winstead says she normally doesn’t drink, prompting Scott to ask, “Oh, you want one?” (meaning, he ordered the two for just himself).

– Eat Pray Love – Julia Roberts orders Tequila on the rocks and also tells Billy Crudup that she’ll have unlimited mini-bar access in their Bali hotel. Giuseppe Gandini sees a commercial about Miller Time and then buy a 6-pack.

– 127 Hours – James Franco says, I need to be chilled like Sauvignon Blanc”.

– Skyline – Lots of bottles and drinks are seen as well as Margaritas.

– Iron Man 2 – When Robert Downey Jr. tells Gwyneth Paltrow he’s promoting her, she asks if he’s been drinking and he says, “Yes, chlorophyll” then opens Champagne for both of them and tells her, “Don’t think…drink.” Scarlett Johansson hands Robert Downey Jr. a Martini and suggestively asks, “Is that dirty enough for you?”
Samuel L. Jackson talks about Mickey Rourke being on a multi-year vodka binge in the past.

– Red – Brian Cox opens a bottle of Sobieski Vodka with a knife.

– Leap Year – During the opening credits, Amy Adams drinks wine and later a Martini at a wedding.

– Edge Of Darkness – Jay O. Sanders asks a grieving Mel Gibson if he wants coffee or something stronger and Mel says, “There’s a bottle of Crown Royal somewhere in the house collecting dust.”

– Broken Embraces – Blanca Portillo orders a Gin and Tonic.

– Valentine’s Day – At the end of a sex operator call, Anne Hathaway says she’s going to need a Mint Julep.

– Shutter Island – Ben Kingsley offers Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo a drink. Mark asks for a rye. There is also a hot tub scene with lots of bottles.

– Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief – The song by Three Dog Night, Mama Told Me Not To Come, with the lyric, “Want some whiskey in your water” is played.

– The Ghost Writer – Pirce Brosnan is given a Bloody Mary.
Olivia Williams tells the Ghost (Ewan McGregor) he needs is a drink. She gives him wine and he says, “I don’t understand the point of white wine” and then has another drink instead.

– Dear John – Scott Porter says that Channing Tatum looks like he could use a drink, and then brings him Bourbon.

– Cop Out – Bruce Willis offers to buy Jason Lee a drink. Jason asks for a Scotch and Bruce orders him rum.

– Our Family Wedding – Bartender, Paul Costa (self-labeled as a mixologist) tosses liquor bottles about while preparing drinks then Carlos Mencia and Forest Whitaker both order a Pink Nipple.

– Date Night – Steve Carell orders two glasses of wine but is ignored by the bartender.

– The Bounty Hunter – Christine Baranski drinks a Martini.

– Sex In The City 2 – Drinking throughout the film. Jessica Parker describes Abu Dhabi to Kristen Davis’s young daughter as “Like Jasmine, only with cocktails,” (referring to the lead female character from the animated Disney film, Aladdin).

– MacGruber – Powers Booth tells Will Forte to relax and have a Molson’s beer.

– Robin Hood – The Friar, Mark Addy collects money from the three men and then asks them if they know about mead. Robin Hood (Russell Crowe) and his men, drink and sing about mead.
King Richard (Danny Huston) has a drink and tells his assistant that he should drink and laugh. Later after mortally wounded, he asks for wine, has some, and then dies.

– Going the Distance – Lots of drinking scenes. In the opening credits, Drew Barrymore gets a text message asking about getting a drink. After tasting some cake icing, Justin Long mentions that vodka is a great chaser.

The 4th annual San Francisco Cocktail Week starts today. Yeah, I wish I was there, but just how many cocktail events can one afford to attend in a year? This event use to be in May and now it’s in September. Would love to attend sometime especially since I lived in SF down on Congress Street once for 6 months in the 1990s.

I looked through some of the San Francisco Cocktail Week events and some sound really fun!The Ragtag Rabble Soirée
Games of chance like craps, blackjack, roulette and poker, played out by dealers dressed in ye olde Barbary Coast-era attire! Join us in the Burritt Room as it’s littered with bars and ragtag tables, along with Cocktail Lab’s signature innovations of classic, turn-of-the-century cocktails. Highlights of the night include a burlesque show, live music, guest bartender appearances, cocktail-themed raffle prizes and delicious bites by chefs Matt Spinner of Thirsty Bear and Larry Piaskowy of Cowgirl Creamery. Festive attire encouraged.

Hangar One Cocktail Cookout on the Island
The East Bay’s best bartenders are teaming up with Fatted Calf for a meaty, boozy outdoor festival, pairing barbecue with ice-cold cocktails and a cocktail competition under the sun at the renowned Hangar One distillery in Alameda. Ticket includes a round-trip ferryboat ride featuring Hangar One cocktails (designed and served by Master Mixologist Scott Beattie of HMS Cocktails) from San Francisco’s Ferry Building and shuttle transportation to BART to and from the Hangar One Distillery, bbq, and cocktails.

Chartreuse Karaoke Gong Show
At an evening inspired by 15 Romolo’s legendary karaoke nights, bartenders and civilians alike will show off their pipes and brave the gong’s shame before a panel of celebrity judges, emboldened by $6 Chartreuse cocktails.

Strange Bed-Fellows: An Exploration in Ham, Oysters and Malt
Chef Ray England teams up with whisky-men Robin Coupar and Neyah White to present a series of unlikely combos. Oysters and Islay single malt? Japanese whisky and cheese? Sherry-finished malt and ham? What could go wrong?

I don’t have a photograph of the official cocktail for the San Francisco Cocktail Week, but here’s the recipe.

Combine Encanto Pisco, Campari, Rosato, Benedictine and lemon juice in an ice-filled shaker and shake for 10 to 15 seconds, or until chilled. Strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass, and top with seltzer. Garnish with a slice of orange.

The cocktail is named after the founder of Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, Domingo Ghirardelli, an Italian-born man who moved to Peru and ran a successful confections business and, following tales of gold mines and potential riches, ultimately ended up in San Francisco. He went on to found Ghirardely & Girard (later changed to the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company), which has been in continuous operation since 1852. In his own way, Ghirardelli helped build and shape San Francisco, and his company has become synonymous with the city. Ghirardelli Square, which his company built, has been an official City landmark since 1965.

I also want to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful people I was able to see and meet last week in Washington DC while attending Beachbum Berry’s seminar. First, Bruce Tomlinson, thank you so much for everything! I mean everything. Secondly, thanks to Jesse Dean for airport transportation and and tour of his lovely city. Thirdly, to all the PS 7 rockstars that created an enchanted evening of sips and nibbles. Chef Peter Smith, Gina Chersevani, and Caroline O’Grady. All of my dinner partners, Jeff Beachbum Berry, Bruce Tomlinson, Vern Stoltz, Mark & Amy Eggers, and Brian Spatola all agree that it was the best ever cocktail pairing we have ever been to…EVER! Beachbum Berry even said , “going to the next one would be like the person that has to follow the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show” and I whole-heartedly agree. It was simply mind-blowing how the cocktails paired perfectly with each nibble from Chef and owner Peter Smith.

From PS 7, me, Bruce, and Beachbum visited Chantal Tseng (wife of Derek Brown) at theHotel Tabard Inn. She made a wonderful B.O.H. TIKI SMASH with Myers’s Dark Rum, coconut rum, Aaron’s Housemade ginger beer, fresh lime, pineapple, mint, and Angostura bitters. It was also served with a snack. Thank you Chantal! You are beautiful.

Thursday night was Beachbum Berry’s event with The Museum of the American of the Cocktail held at the Occidental Grill & Seafood. Thank you to Philip Greene, treasurer of the Museum, for dinner afterwards. Very nice sitting next to and meeting your father as well! After that, me, Bruce and Bum went over to see Derek Brown at The Columbia Room. We also spent a couple hours at The Columbia Room the following night as well. Thank you Derek for all the fantastic cocktails and personal service! Love your smile. Also loved that you made the tiki god of the world, Beachbum Berry a “real” Mai Tai. Oh nice to meet you Brian Miller (Pegu Club, Death & Company). You’re funny.

Late Friday night, me, Bruce, and Bum, trekked an hour over to see John Hogan’s place in Annapolis called Level. If you are ever in the area then you MUST visit. We tasted the addicting Honey & Cherry Manhattan (had to have 2!) and the cocktail that is on the back label of John Hogan’s and Tobin Ellis’ bitters. Yum! The Honey & Cherry Manhattan was garnished with a cube of dripping honeycomb that melted in your mouth. I gave the Bum my second honeycomb.

Cocktails from Adam at Proof were wonderful and the cherry was topped at the speakeasy, The Gibson. Personally, I could end each night at The Gibson. Such great energy and atmosphere. Dark wood, decorative leather, velvet, cool music, ahhhhh, my kinda sexy place. Don’t even know the bartenders names, but I’ll never forget them, their wonderful drinks, and engaging personalities. They even fixed my broken shoe with superglue!

On a personal note, I’m packing up whatever fits in my car and moving to New Orleans the first week of October. It’s the first city in my whole life where so so many people have opened up their arms and welcomed me. What a great feeling that is! So I’m off to new experiences to the Big Easy. More on that next time.

Live Juicy and Cheers!
Cheryl Charming aka Miss Charming™

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Southern Comfort is celebrating its sponsorship of the Golden Globe winning series True Blood, Season Two with a selection of blood thirsty cocktails that promises to make the mouth of any mere mortal water.

The recipes are in European measures. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a jigger with both standard and metric measures? Just a thought.

Shake and strain into a High Ball glass over cubed ice. Serve with a blood orange and lemon slice and garnish with mint sprig.

Southern Blood

50ml Southern Comfort
½ blood orange
Ice

Fill a glass halfway with ice and pour the Southern Comfort over. Squeeze the juice of half a blood orange and stir for a true taste of New Orleans, where Southern Comfort originates.

HISTORY
Southern Comfort was created in 1874 by a New Orleans bartender, Martin Wilkes (M.W.) Heron. After experimenting with a variety of fruits, spices and other spirits, Heron struck on the perfect combination creating a one-of-a-kind blend of nuetral grain spirit, fruit, and spice flavors. His spirit of originality, freedom and possibility continues to live through the Southern Comfort brand to this day.

TRIVIA
• Southern Comfort was originally known as Cuff and Buttons.
• Southern Comfort was Janis Joplin’s favorite. She mixed it with lime juice.
• Southern Comfort won the gold medal at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.
• The Scarlett O’Hara (SoCo, cranberry juice & lime) was marketed in 1939 after the film, Gone with the Wind.
• The most popular drinks made with SoCo is the Alabama Slammer and Sloe Comfortable Screw.

Happy New Year all! I have to be honest, as a kid I truly believed that this magical year was THE year I’d be living the Jetsons life. Remember the Jetsons? Meet George Jetson. Jane his wife…loved that cartoon.

I don’t know what will happen in 2010, but I do know what happened 100 years ago. We’ve come a long way, baby. Or have we?

1910 First in-flight cocktails are served to paying passengers on the Zeppelin flying over Germany.1910 J&B blended Scotch whisky is introduced.1910 Prohibition for Canberra, Australia begins.

1910 Mount Gay Eclipse Rum from Barbados is named after an eclipse of the same year.1910 Britain’s first cocktail bar, the Criterion in Piccadilly Circus opens.1910 Bacardi opens a facility in Barcelona, Spain.

And, if you go back only 50 years then here are three things that happened.

1960 Happy Hour becomes a common term.
1960The first Playboy Club opens at 116 East Walton in Chicago and becomes the busiest bar in the world, often serving 1400 guests a day. Cocktails cost $1.50.
1960 A plastic lined bottle cap replaces the cork lined crown bottle cap.

Cornucopia (also called horn of plenty) is a symbol of abundance and in the cocktail world there is a definite abundance of variety. The cocktail culture pendulum swings from extreme flair bars to purist craft bars and oscillates past all others in between. I’m for all of them and believe that all pieces of the cocktail pie bring something to the table.

I will get to experience the extreme side on November 18th at the original flair bartending championship, QUEST. It’s at the groove at Universal CityWalk® in Orlando, Florida. There is a virtual tour of the groove here (scroll to the bottom). I will be there with Mark Hastings, owner of the world’s largest bar supply company. The kicker is that it will be MY BIRTHDAY at midnight! So this high-energy event should be fun fun fun! Come see me! Admission is free if you get there before 9pm. To learn more, Quest has a Facebook event page here.

If you think you can get away, then most of the attendees and competitors stay at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites across from Universal and next to TGI Fridays (Fridays actually provides room service to the hotel). There are free shuttles over to CityWalk, but you can actually walk it as well. Rooms are around $80 and suites are $130. Their # is 407-351-3333. I’ll be staying there.

In my first week of work as Promotions Director, I ran across a patent pending product of Mark’s that I thought was pretty clever. It’s an inverted plastic pour spout called the Cap-On®. Well, I put them into my home bar bottles because I liked that I could screw the cap back on. Then I did a 3-count pour and was surprised to find that it measured correctly. I thought they would be perfect for the average person or master mixologist that hated pour spouts. So, I sent out samples worldwide to cocktail friends and the response has been great! It’s been blogged about at The Liquid Muse, Santa Fe Barman, and Cocktail.about.com with more to come.

Then John Lermayer told me that he loved them and was going to put them in The Florida Room at the Delano Hotel in Miami! Wow! I never expected them to be used that way! John, you’ve known I’ve loved you a long time 🙂

And to top it off so far this week, Brian Loukmas, mixologist for Bacardi, fell in love with them too and sent a photo! I love you Brian! Can’t wait to see you at Quest! So many new BFF’s!

If you’d like to try them then they are quite affordable. So affordable they can be disposable. You can get a dozen for 69 cents or 48 dozen for $26.50 at barproducts.com.

The 2nd Season of ON THE ROCKS(bartending challenge ala Top Chef) has it’s first of 3 episodes tomorrow night (Nov 7) on NBC after Saturday Night Live!

On the Rocks, Season 2 follows eight of the nation’s best bartenders as they compete for the title of America’s Top Bartender and a $100,000 prize. I’m crossing my fingers for Todd or Hillary.

Shot on location in Las Vegas, the contestants are judged through a series of challenges that test their skills, knowledge and talent behind the bar.

This season will be hosted by Maria Sansone, who will be joined by an award winning panel of judges… On the Rocks’ season one winner, Amanda Gager, actor and nightlife legend Fabrizio Brienza and award-winning mixologist friend of 12 years, Tobin Ellis, who co-founded the Flair Bartenders Association.

A few weeks ago, Rachel Poor, Senior Account Executive for SHIFT Communications sent me 2 bottles of Cruzan rum (Light aged & dark single barrel) and a bottle of Canadian Club Classic 12.

They arrived on a Friday, so I made a pitcher of Skinny Cruzan Quad-Citrus Mojitos to share with my neighbors. It was a big hit! The guys didn’t even know it was sugar-free!

Rachel also sent me some recipes to post to generate some awareness for Movember, (moustache + November) a charity that raises money for testicular cancer and prostate cancer awareness. Canadian Club is a sponsor of Movember and they’ve made some funny Mo-inspired cocktails to generate some excitement. The site is pretty graphically appealing. You should check it out. Here’s a YouTube vid of it

The Magnum

1 ½ parts Canadian Club Whisky

4 parts Ginger Ale

Lime

The Bandit

1 ½ parts Canadian Club Whisky

4 parts Club Soda

Lemon

The Flanders

1 ½ parts Canadian Club Whiskey

½ part sweet Vermouth

Dash of bitters

The Burgundy

1 ½ parts Canadian Club Whisky

4 parts Ginger Ale

Splash of Cranberry Juice

Lastly, I want to give props to my new facebook friend, John Collingwood from http://www.wanttoimpress.com and Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. He shot a cocktail photo session in a vintage barbershop for Movemeber and made some cocktails for Movember.

The Universal Record Database Beta (URDB) says that they are the definitive site for human achievement. Last month they posted Opus Moreschi (writer for The Colbert Report, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, The Tom Greene Show, etc.) making the Fastest Time to Make a Shamwow Cocktail. Click on the image below to see it. (Don’t know what a Shamwow is? Scroll down and view the YouTube infomercial.)

My Thoughts:

1. Ick! he’s using his germ infested hands to squeeze out the Manhattan. Use some gloves, Opus.
2. At least he used bitters and a good Bourbon (Maker’s Mark), but a warm Manhattan? or rather…Shamhattan. Maybe he should have Shamwow’d it into a glass of ice to make a Manhattan on the rocks.
3. The band should’ve played a New York related song.
4. What is a Shamwow really made of and do I want my drink strained through it?

Here’s what a Shamwow is:

The Universal Record Database Beta (URDB)have several other offbeat collegiate-ish drink-related world records on the site like the Fastest Chug of a Can of Beer, The Most Wine Consumed with Left Hand over Right Shoulder, and The Fastest Time to Pull a Cork Out of a Wine Bottle With a Napkin.

Other “out there” drink related stuff going on is The Martini Workout where you set a Martini glass on your abs and do crunches.

Shake Plymouth Gin with lemon juice and simple syrup and strain over fresh ice into a Collins glass. Top with club soda and garnish with an orange slice and cherry. A 6 minute DVD of the Tom Collins seen in film will accompany the cocktail.

History: This cocktail is from the Vendome Club, Hollywood, 1930, and is named after the famous hat-shaped restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard that opened in 1926.
The Brown Derby Cocktail from The Vendome Club in the early 1930’s and became Vendome Wine & Sprits in 1933 when it became legit.

The largest celebration of all is the annual San Francisco Cocktail Week, which is a week in honor of San Francisco’s vibrant cocktail culture. You can view the schedule here.

If you happen to be in Las Vegas then you must check out a Social Mixology – Late Night Cocktail Culture in Vegas event. It’s headed up by my longtime barmagic.com friend, Tobin Ellis (ya know the bartender that competed against Bobby Flay on TV), so you can’t go wrong. Plus, anyone with stunning graphics is is number one in my book!

Also this month, The Ritz-Carlton is launching a new “Bar Experience” globally that features a Bar Edible menu with a fresh twist on solid and traditional cocktails. Just check out the images of the Chipolte Mango Margarita, Sake Cucumber Smash, Pom’Bom with gold flake, Elderflower “Pink Gin” Smash, Melon Citrus Twist, Mojito, and Lemon Ginger Fizz.If you’d like the PDF file of the Bar Edible menu recipes then email me at cheryl@misscharming.com and I’ll send it to you.

Every Saturday morning in New Orleans, Paul & Ann Tuennerman aka Mr. & Mrs. Cocktail host The Straight Pour Radio Show from 10 AM – 11 AM on WIST-AM 690. Two weeks ago on 4.11.09 I was on the show. You can listen to the show by clicking here then scrolling down to The Straight Pour.

On the show I tell Tony that he can make a special cake for his gay parade (like Mardi Gras and their famous King Cake). Below is a photo of the Rainbow Cake I talk about. It’s easy to make! Just split your cake batter up into how ever many colors you want to make into separate small bowls and color them with food coloring. Then pour each color on top of each other in the baking pan and it will bake like the photo below.

Prosecco Mimosas

To make Prosecco Mimosas simply pour an ounce of orange juice into 5 ounces of Prosecco Italian sparkling wine.

Also, if you haven’t checked out Miss Trivia, my drink trivia app, here is a YouTube video of what it looks like below.

Yay! The full version of Miss Trivia came out today! Filled to the brim with 5000 drink related questions, difficulty levels, categories, single or multi-player options, and fun faux prizes. There are a few kinks to work out that bother me, but it will be updated by next week. Simply tap the App Store icon on your iPhone/iTouch and “search” Miss Trivia or Cheryl Charming to find it. Then download. You can also download from iTunes on your computer. If you like it then leave a review! More questions will be added as time goes by.

I also wanted everyone to know that Tales of the Cocktail just put their tickets up for sale. I will post more on Tales, but first, if you plan to attend, I wanted you to start thinking about reserving a spot for a Spirited Dinner because they fill up very fast (only a limited amount of spaces are available to keep the dinners intimate). It’s Thursday, July 9, 2009 at 8:00 PM – 11:00 PM.

What is it? Each Spirited Dinner will have a distinctive menu with a range of cuisine from appetizers to desserts, served along with extraordinary cocktails of all variations and flavors. At each spirited dinner, a team of authors, mixologists, and bar-chefs have worked alongside New Orleans’ most prestigious restaurants to bring you a unique and exciting menu.

I chose The Pelican Club, so if you want to eat with me then call the restaurant at 504-523-1504 during the day to make a reservation. It’s $100 and includes tax and gratuity.

The Chef is Richard Hughes and the Bar Chefs are the incredible BarMagic team headed up up Tobin Ellis. Tobin is most recently recognized for being chosen the bartender (in all of America) to challenge celebrity Chef, Bobby Flay on his Food Network TV show, Throwdown with Bobby Flay. Just check out this Cocktail & Food menu that will be served below! I love it!

Yeah, I know it’s really called Miss Trivia “Lite” in the Apple world, but I’m a Coke Zero fan and figured it was clever to use “Zero”since the app is Free & Lite. This is the official announcement that Miss Trivia Lite is available for download. However, from clicking around on it, it appears I have a couple hiccups to work out. No worries, just know that I will be making the questions more readable, adding a sound “off” option, inserting a cash register chime for the correct answer (since the goal is to ring up the highest bar tab), shorten the wrong answer buzz to one second, and allow a 6 second head start to read the question before the timer begins. The full version should be available in a matter of days, but if you see anything in the free lite version that I overlooked don’t hesitate to let me know.

How to Download an App(First, make sure you’ve created an account with iTunes on your computer.)Downloading applications to iPhone is easy. Just tap the App Store icon, browse whatever categories you’re interested in or search for a specific App then download your purchases wirelessly.
Once you own an application, the App Store automatically notifies you when there’s an update. Updates are free. You can even shop for applications on iTunes, then sync them to your iPhone/iTouch.

Another drink related app that became available this week isGary Regan’sFlip ‘n Drink. Gary is one of the world’s renowned cocktail authors with “The Joy of Mixology” being his most prized publication so far. The photo of us above was taken minutes after finally meeting for the first time in 2007. I remember hoping that there wasn’t any black pepper in my teeth because the watermelon cocktail they passed around had black pepper flakes floating in it. Below is a YouTube demo of Flip ‘n Drink. One thing to know about the app is that it’s over 10mb, so you’ll have to download on your computer first (10mb is too big to download from the iPhone).